Smart Springer

Building a bike doesn’t always require a king’s ransom. Just ask Jeff Reno of Lancaster, California. He put together this Springer on a budget but still made it look good and run hard by accenting the bike’s original form with tasteful modifications and aftermarket parts.

Starting with a ’93 Harley, Reno lowered the bike 1½ inches in the rear and 1 inch in the front to get the proper stance. Then he bolted on some stainless-steel spoke wheels (21 inches in the front and 16 inches in the rear) and wrapped them with Metzeler rubber.

In an effort to smooth the lines of the bike, the stock front fender struts were chopped 1 inch to eliminate the space between the tire and the front fender, and a Heritage rear fender was bobbed, shaped and smoothed to follow the wheel and tire lines. The stock gas tank was stretched and the dash customized by Reno and Dave Stanley to further accent the lines of the bike. Then two ’59 Caddy taillight lenses were mounted in custom housings on each side of the swing arm, along with some repop toolboxes, to really personalize the effort.

To clean up the fork area, S&N bars equipped with Custom Chrome handgrips were bolted on the stock risers, with the stock headlight and the Drag Specialties turn signals leading the way. A Lepera Daytona seat and Kuryakyn footrests were bolted on for cruising comfort. The engine was mildly pumped with a Crane 316 Fireball cam, a jet kit and a custom exhaust system by Chip. Notice how the exhaust tubes run parallel to each other and how the angled cut of the tips enhances the bike’s overall look. Small details such as these give this Springer a trick appearance. To finish it all off, Reno painted the bike black with candy colors splashed over the tank.

Reno’s candy cruiser proves that you can have a cool custom bike without breaking the bank—it just takes some thought and effort to pull everything together.